Crawl
by SorasKey
Summary: ..::Roxas has been away at war and seperated by his family for too long. He thinks the pain of death and loss is far from him now. But when he returns it comes closer to him and his family than he ever thought possible::..


She pulled the silk ribbon securely around her hair, tying it tightly underneath her blonde locks. Her face was perfectly framed by her freshly curled hair, painted in pink blush and lip gloss. She smiled fondly at the memories that particular flavor held as she finished her eye make-up. When she was done with her work she placed her hands on her swollen stomach, a light kick making her eyes widen and relax. Her navy and ivory dress soft to the touch.

She returned her gaze from her manicured hands to the mirror in front of her. A little boy with unruly pale blonde hair appeared in the door frame. He got the color from his mother, style from his father. He wore khaki shorts, his Toy Story underpants hanging out of the top, and held a white t-shirt in his hands.

"Why can't I wear my Transformers shirt, mommy?" He asked, crossing his little arms in protest.

"You want to show daddy that you're a big boy, right? I'm sure he'll be impressed with such a crisp, white shirt." The blonde woman told her baby boy.

"Why would my shirt be crispy?" He asked with confused eyes as she took the shirt from him and slid it onto his skinny body.

"Let's go, baby. We don't want daddy to think we forgot about him." She began walking out into her bedroom to put on her new beige sandals before following her son downstairs. Her babysitter, and her savior the past few months, sat waiting in the living room. Ever since her husband left and she realized she couldn't chase the little guy around, she hired a babysitter to help; she knew her pregnant self wouldn't be able to handle it all alone.

"I told him he couldn't wear the Transformers shirt. He just wouldn't listen." She smirked.

"He's just like his father; stubborn." The trio walked into the garage, readying to depart.

She buckled him into his booster seat, making sure he was in tightly. "If you're good at the airport, then maybe we can go get some ice cream afterwards. I'm sure daddy's missed his favorite." She smiled as she watched his eyes light up and nod his head rapidly in agreement. This was at least something she could do.

She closed the door and got into the passenger seat, immediately fastening herself in. She tended to forget little things like that the closer the due date approached.

"Thank you so much for this, Olette." The blonde woman said to her babysitter. Her green eyes glanced at her employer before returning to the road.

"It's my pleasure. I love helping you with this. Especially since you didn't have Mr. Strife to help you… But as of today, he'll be back home."

"For who knows how long…" The blonde woman started out the window. Olette didn't say anything else. She just let her ears fill with the soft breathing noises her son made, already asleep in his car seat.

"Mrs. Strife? We're here." Olette's voice called her from her day dreaming state. Or maybe it was her nerves distracting her? It had been almost a year since she'd seen him. Eight months to be exact.

"Oh... sorry, I must have spaced out. Can you get Dashi from out of the back?" His full name was Tadashi, meaning righteous and loyal. Dashi was the affectionate name his family referred to him as.

"Sure." Olette said with a smile on her face. Mrs. Strife slowly got out of the car, brushing a few blonde strands out of her face.

Dashi was impatiently clinging to his mother's leg, dancing in place. Olette stood close by observing all the other families waiting for their loved one to step out of that plane. There were mothers and girlfriends and wives, brothers and sons and daughters; they all wore a happy face, biting their lower lips in apprehension. Mrs. Strife was no different, she noticed, her eyes were lit up and glazed over, preparing for the tears to fall. She wore water proof mascara just like the other women and made every second of the next couple weeks filled with his favorite things, just like them.

And then it happened. The door opened to the plane and a flight attendant walked down the movable stairs, looking up to the door and nodding.

A few seconds later, men in uniform began filing out. One by one, they all held expressions of excitement, eyes searching for their families. Olette watched as they ran into the arms of their loved ones, kissing their wives and babies.

To Naminé Strife, everything was in slow motion. She searched the sea of green, trying to find those deep blue eyes. His unruly blonde spikes would be gone, shaved down, no longer being an identifier. Bodies pressed against each other, the breeze whipped the hem of her dress around, and she didn't even care if her hair was messed up. She just needed to see him. Dashi was jumping up and down trying to spot his father and she made no effort to calm him.

And in a split second, there he was. He was probably about twenty feet away, many people in between creating a barrier. "Roxas!" She called, unable to control herself. And then their eyes connected. Blue on blue, both shedding tears.

"Naminé." He said, fast approaching his wife. He flung his arms around her, pulling her close, but not too tightly. She clung to his broad shoulders, letting the tears fall.

"I love you, Roxas. I missed you so much."

"I love you too, baby. Words cannot describe how much I've missed this." They just held each other for a few moments before Dashi began pulling on his father's pant leg.

"Daddy!" He yelled, getting their attention. He never did like watching the two kiss.

"Dashi, I've missed you so much, son. You've grown up so much!"

"Yea, daddy, I was the man of the house just like you said. I took care of mommy and everything!" He pointed to himself before being enveloped in a hug. "I love you daddy."

"I love you too, Dashi."

After a while of hugging and introducing Olette, Roxas turned to his wife. "You've gotten big."

"Oh thanks." She playfully swatted his arm. "She's due in a of couple weeks. It's been hard without you."

"I wish I could've been there. But duty calls, you know that. I'm fighting for you." He smiled, pulling her to his side.

"I know, Roxas. But you're here now. You're going to be here to see her, right?"

"I'll be here as long as you want me."

"I always want you." His lips covered hers for another brief moment. They really did miss this. Dashi clung impatiently on his father's hand, shaking it around a bit.

"Did you decide on a name yet?" Roxas continued as they walked towards the minivan.

"I was hoping you'd help me with that."

"Umm... alright. Let's discuss it tonight, okay?" They looked down to see Dashi standing there with his arms crossed. "Now we have to get ice cream." Dashi smiled.

"Thanks for driving, Olette." Naminé said for the millionth time on the way to the ice cream place nearest their house.

"No problem, Mrs. Strife!" She called back to the pregnant woman in the very back.

Naminé and Roxas sat comfortably in the last row, Tadashi was in his booster seat in the middle and Olette drove. It was cozy.

A shiny black truck came speeding down the road. A young man was late for his little brother's high school graduation. Said brother would probably kill him if he was late. Not to mention his parents would be furious, making him feel a new level of guilt. And on top of that he was going to propose to his girlfriend that night at the restaurant. Needless to say, driving was the last thing on his mind.

_Just a little faster_, he thought to himself as he applied pressure to the gas. _I just have to get around this car_. He'd done it a million times before. It was a straight-away. No cars were coming in the opposite lane. He was clear. He'd get to see his little brother in time.

"I can just walk home after we get back to your house." Olette answered Naminé's questions about her plans. "Hayner said he wanted to spend some time together."

Naminé caught the smile on her face and opened her mouth to respond. She could feel Roxas' arm around her shoulder and snuck another glance at Dashi, whom was contently staring out the window. One more mile of straight-away and they'd be at the ice cream place.

The young man turned on his turn signal, looking in his rear view mirror and back forward.

He didn't see the silver minivan pull onto the road in front of him.

Metal clashed metal in a split second. Bodies were flung forward, their seat belts desperately trying to keep them seated. Air bags burst, ribs cracked, and knees scraped.

"Dashi!" Tears ran down a mother's face, she could barely keep her eyes open. She caught a glimpse of a little hand hanging over the arm rest in front of her before she collapsed into her unconscious husband's body.

"We need to get these people to the hospital immediately. There are survivors. Please clear out to avoid any further complications." A firefighter explained to a group of bystanders who collected near the scene. He watched as a bloody body was rescued from a heap of black metal. He couldn't possibly be alive, but there was still a chance. God did crazy things sometimes. Amazingly, crazy things.

_..Faith.._

_..Prayer.._

_..Family.._

"Honey, are you alright?" Roxas noticed his wife's eyes flutter open. He rubbed at his already red eyes more, trying to clear his face of the dry tears. It pained him to see tear marks on her face too.

"What...What happened? Roxas?" That look of worry was like a gunshot. Her blue eyes were glazed over and she immediately put a hand on her stomach. She had scratch marks all over her body, IVs were attached to her pale arms, and the hospital gown clung awkwardly to her sweat. He moved his chair closer and put his hand on hers. Thank God she was alright, the baby was alright.

He had a few stitches and bandages here and there. They cleaned him up while Naminé was sleeping. There was no word on Tadashi yet.

"H-head on collision." Roxas said barely above a whisper. "I'm so glad you're okay." He placed a few kisses on her lips. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." He could tell she didn't know what to say. "Where's Dashi?" The tears were so close.

"I… don't know." He was ashamed of his answer.

She squeezed his hand even tighter. "Olette?" She was afraid to ask. That poor baby. She just turned seventeen.

Roxas just looked downwards and kissed her forehead again.

"Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Strife. I'm Dr. Yuna Koda. Are you both feeling better? Any pains?" A young brunette clothed in a navy dress and white lab coat appeared at the door. She walked over and began checking the monitors and glancing back at her chart. "You seem to be recovering well. You're very lucky."

An older brunette woman entered the room and began studying the IV levels and replaced one of the bags before exiting. There was silence to the blondes as Yuna began talking about what they were doing to them in expansive medical terms.

"Where's my baby?" Naminé asked, interrupting Yuna after a few minutes. "Where's Dashi?"

Yuna's eyes widened at the interruption before giving them a forced smile. "He's in emergency surgery. The force was devastating to such a young boy. It was a good thing he was fastened in properly, it's a rare thing these days." She tried to alleviate the pain by going on. "A few broken ribs, a fractured collar bone and a broken arm along with scratches here and there are simple fixes. But the force bruised some internal organs. We had to operate to stop the bleeding." She continued to explain everything that was happening. Naminé felt sick to her stomach. She needed some kind of nourishment for the baby though. She had to be strong.

She sat there and let herself be held by her husband. He was supposed to be coming back from chaos, not going back into it. She felt horrible. Why couldn't they have stayed at the airport a little longer or had someone else drive? Olette was inexperienced. Olette.

"What happened to the driver? Her name is Olette Watanabe. She's seventeen, brunette, green ey—"

She stopped when she noticed Yuna's eyes flicker to the window and downcast. "She was killed on impact." _Did she have to say it so bluntly?_ "I'm sorry. We found her ID and already contacted her parents."

_Were they mad at her? Of course they would be. I just murdered they're little girl. She was so young. She was going on a date later…_

That was the last straw, she burst into tears. Roxas immediately wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair. He knew you couldn't let the guilt settle, or else it wouldn't leave.

Hours past and still no word about Dashi. Naminé was fast asleep again and Roxas was on the verge of it as well. He couldn't stop thinking about how things changed so fast. He came home. He kissed his wife. He told his boy he could get ice cream. He felt his unborn child kick.

A girl died that day.

He couldn't handle sitting anymore. He had to get out of there.

A bitter cup of hospital coffee might help his nerves.

Roxas made his way out to the nurse's station to receive directions to the cafeteria. When he approached the counter he heard a few nurses talking in hushed voices about a young man who survived a head-on collision. Was it him? No… it was the other driver. He was 22.

He survived.

Angels were definitely watching over him that day. _Olette was broken and this man got out with a- a broken arm. Really?_

He saw them glancing towards a nearby closed door. He stood there a few moments before a nurse noticed him and asked if he needed anything. He received the directions and walked towards the elevator. He entered the small box, pressed a button, and turned around to stare out the closing doors.

He didn't even notice a kid run into the elevator right before it closed. He bumped into Roxas before retreating into a corner. "Sorry." He murmured.

The ride was silent for a while as the elevator slowly descended. Roxas could feel the boy's gaze on face, but he didn't dare look.

"Are- are you Roxas Strife?" Roxas looked over to the boy, curious as to why he knew his name.

"Yes." He was going to ask the boy what his name was but he was cut off.

"My name is Ienzo Aoki. Today my brother was in a car accident. He survived but a girl my age was killed. He changed a family forever. His name is Demyx and he's beating himself up about it. He can't forget that moment, he saw her eyes… He saw her bright green eyes." The boy took deep breaths as he spoke. Roxas was taken aback by how mature and calm this boy was. "And he's really, really sorry. Thank you for letting me take your time, I'm sure you're already busy with enough things by now." He turned to leave the elevator, the doors opened at the perfect time.

"And sir?" He turned to look over his shoulder. "Don't be scared. And don't blame yourself for it, my brother is suffering enough." No matter how bitter his words sounded, he spoke in a confident tone. Like he accepted everything and wasn't pointing any fingers. Roxas wished he could be like that boy. To be so calm. And maybe those words should be carried on to Naminé. She needed it.

"What do you mean I have to have surgery?" Naminé asked, clutching Roxas' fingers. He had returned with coffee for himself when she was waking. He had just finished telling her about the boy and his brother when a different doctor came in with Yuna.

"We're afraid with the pressure that was put on you by the seat belt that the baby was harmed. That past ultrasound revealed a few complications. And it's only two weeks early, the baby will be fine." The doctor went on with another set of explanations and medical terms.

But did that mean the baby was hurt?

"Roxas?" Naminé looked over to him. He gave her a confused look.

"Is this necessary? Will it be safe?"

"It's the only way. If we wait the baby may lose its oxygen source."_ Why was this all brought up now? It was enough that Dashi had to have some of his intestines removed. They were already going into another surgery._

"Okay." They both nodded.

Hours later Naminé found herself waking up as the anesthesia wore off from the surgery.

"I have good news." She felt Roxas whisper into her ear, she could feel his lips curl into a smile. She opened her eyes to see him staring adoringly at her. As soon as he saw his smile, her face lit up automatically. So much has happened; she didn't know it was possible for her to smile again. "Dashi's out of all his surgeries. He's stable. He's going to be okay. The doctor said she's going to bring him in a little later once he's checked on again."

_Thank you, God. _

"That's wonderful." Naminé croaked and placed a kiss on Roxas' lips. "Where's our little one?" This she wasn't prepared for. She was caught off guard about it but excited nonetheless.

"She's healthy. She'll be in soon." She? We had a little girl…

"Did you come up with a name?" Out of all the thoughts running through her head that was all that came out when she opened her mouth.

"I'm not sure, actually. I didn't have much time to think clearly." Roxas smiled, scratching the back of his head out of habit.

"I'm sure when we see her, we'll know." Naminé smiled back, interlocking her fingers with Roxas'.

Naminé had her bed adjusted to sit up properly and she got a drink while Roxas sat in a daze. The two sat in a peaceful silence.

"Would you like to meet your newest family member?" A nurse clad in white entered the room holding a bundle of pink blankets. Naminé and Roxas' eyes lit up in unison. "Here you go. She's a very healthy little one, so you shouldn't have any worries. Just ring the nurses' station if you need anything." The nurse smiled kindly as she handed Naminé the little girl. Roxas watched as she exited the room and closed the door before directing his attention to the baby. His baby.

"Hey, baby, it's your mommy." Naminé whispered, placing a loving kiss on her forehead. "I love you very much. It's great to finally see you." She cooed. "Meet your daddy." Roxas leaned so he could see her better. She had milky white skin and when her eyes would open they were the brightest blue he had only seen on one other person. He could tell she was going to have light blonde hair too, even though she was still practically bald.

"Hello, princess. You look just like your mommy, you know that?" Roxas said, smiling. "I love you." He leaned down to kiss her.

"She looks just like Dashi, doesn't she? Every part of her is the same."

"Well, not really."

"Oh hush, you know what I mean." Naminé scolded her husband.

The young couple took turns holding the baby the next fifteen minutes before another knock came at the door.

"We have someone that really wants to see you." A different nurse appeared pushing a wheelchair. "His surgeries went well and he appears to be stable. It's very lucky that we could even be able to wheel him over here. You two should be proud." The nurse went on.

"We are." Roxas answered, staring at the little boy sitting in the chair. He was very pale but still wore a smile. With his help, the nurse was able to place Dashi on the bed next to his mother, per her request.

"Are you okay, Dashi? We were so worried about you." Naminé said once the nurse left. He was showered with hugs and kisses almost immediately.

"Yes, mommy. I love you." He said, looking at his father too. "Who's that?" He pointed to the baby in his mother's arms. He wasn't expecting a baby either.

"This is your little sister." Roxas said.

"Really? That's so cool!" He squeaked out. His breath became shallower, but no one noticed. His already pale skin became somewhat grayer too.

"Do you want to hold her?" Naminé asked, knowing Dashi would be careful.

"Yea!" Naminé placed her baby girl on her son's lap, keeping her hand underneath her head the entire time. Dashi wrapped his arms around the baby, smiling. "She's mine." He whispered. "What's her name?"

Naminé looked at Roxas. They had discussed it before Dashi came in. "Her name is Sydney." It was more of Roxas' idea since Naminé named Tadashi.

"Hi, Syd." Dashi leaned down and kissed her.

Naminé was so happy to have her family back together. Today was insane and she didn't want this moment to end…

"Daddy, I took care of mommy for you." Dashi whispered after a while of just sitting enjoying one another. Naminé squeezed Dashi's shoulder.

"I know you did, son. You did well." He could've sworn he said that earlier.

"I protected her and Sydney. And it's great to be here with you."

"What are you talking about Dashi?" Naminé said, concerned for how grown up he sounded. He was still a little boy.

"She's gonna grow up and daddy will be there for her. I can't."

"Oh, honey, you'll be here." Naminé figured he was just scared from all the events that happened today. "You're okay." She kissed his cheek.

"I can't, mommy. But know that I love you." He snuggled his face into her arm. "I love you, daddy." He looked back at Roxas.

"We know, baby. We love you too. Just sleep." Naminé said; he was probably just tired. That was it.

"I love you, Sydney." Dashi looked at his baby sister, whom was in Roxas' arms. "I'm so tired. Make sure she knows I'm with her all the time." He said. That really alarmed the two adults. He shouldn't be talking like this. What happened?

"Baby, what's wrong? Dashi?" Naminé squeezed his shoulders.

"Dashi, are you okay? We're right here." Roxas said.

"I'm okay. It feels better now. I don't hurt." Dashi had been complaining about his stomach feeling sore from the surgeries earlier, the doctor had said that was a good thing. It was normal. Expected.

Naminé flung her arms around Dashi, slowing stroking his hair. He had begun to cry.

"I love you, I love you…" She cooed. "Roxas, get a doctor. He's not acting right." Roxas complied by ringing for a nurse.

"I love you too, mommy." Tears began to collect in her eyes. Dashi barely had his eyes open, they were unfocused.

Roxas put his hand on Dashi's arm as Naminé held him close. This wasn't happening. He was just tired and the anesthesia was making him talk strangely.

But he couldn't deny how cold his skin felt, how gray it had turned, how slowly he was breathing.

He was just a little boy.

Tadashi Strife died an hour later in his mother's arms. The doctors tried their best, but the bleeding began again and his organs were shutting down.

One week later Roxas and Naminé stood, looking down at a newly covered hole in the ground. A gray tombstone stared back at them, showcasing a name, a birth date, and the day of death. He was too young.

The two were dressed in black, Naminé held a bouquet of white flowers in her hand. She knelt down and placed it on the grave. The family of a teenage girl was further down the lot, a mother doing the same thing. But Naminé didn't hear anything. She could only hear her son's words in her ears '_I love you too, mommy_'.

Roxas knelt beside her, wrapping his strong arms around her small body, trying to hold her together. Their baby girl was being rocked lovingly in Roxas' mother's arms not too far off. He could hear her humming.

That family was changed.

"Tell me another story about Dashi." A petite blonde girl said, resting on her mother's lap. Her light hair was brushed back and secured by a ribbon. Her blue eyes gleamed, excited to hear more; they looked just like her brother's. Everything about her mirrored her brother, it was strange. It was really like he was always with her. Just like he said he'd be.

"Don't you want to go get ice cream with daddy first?" Her tired mother said in response. She had been telling her daughter the same stories she already knew for the past two hours. Roxas was sitting in a nearby arm chair, alarmed by the suggestion. He didn't know about that. He raked his hand through his spiky hair, as if considering it. Naminé had missed that hair.

"Let's go, princess. You can get sprinkles on it if you want." Roxas got out of his chair and picked up the little girl. He thought back on how Dashi would get sprinkles on his ice cream.

"Okay…" She said, trying to sound sad about not hearing more stories. She couldn't mask her excited expression for ice cream very well though.

"You just have to promise to not get anything on that crisp, white dress of yours." Naminé smiled, going to grab the keys.

"Why would my dress be crispy?"

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Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

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So... I was going to add this about forever ago, but I forgot! Plus I was very busy this past week so it wouldn't have happened anyways. And I know some of you dedicated readers are still patiently waiting for the next Barely Legal chapter.. And my co-author told me she was going to edit it. Today. So guess what? It didn't happen. So I'm either going to update without an edit or just wait... And it's sad since I still have the rest of the plot all decided in my head save the minor details. But oh well. And now about this story:

This idea was completely fictional and is of my own creation. I don't really have any soldiers fighting over there so I can't really make that connection, so sorry if I got things wrong (I decided since I couldn't get it right it was okay, that's why it's fanfiction). But I was inspired by a tragic wreck (head on collision with a tractor trailer that passed the median on interstate) neighbors of mine were in last summer. They both died, but they're eight year-old son survived.. So I drew the emotion from that. It was just a shock that I couldn't think right, so that's why everything may seem vague. And I also am awkward with adding some faith in there since I'm not that strong of a writer quite yet, but I tried without being overbearing... And I think that's all the technical stuff. I hope you all liked it, since I worked hard on it (and **startscribbling12** edited it, gave me the title, and made up a summary)! :)

Title: _Crawl _by Superchick

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_Please review. No flames please :)_


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